With the help of Varun Chakravarthy’s spin masterclass and Shreyas Iyer’s pressure-defying fifty, India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs in Dubai on Sunday to take first place in Group A and go to the semifinals against Australia.
Shreyas Iyer’s pressure-defying fifty and Varun Chakravarthy’s spin masterpiece helped India defeat New Zealand by 44 runs in Dubai on Sunday to win Group A and advance to the Champions Trophy semifinals against Australia. Iyer scored a composed 79 off 98 balls under pressure, but New Zealand, led by bowler Mark Henry (5/42), held India to a disappointing 249 for nine. Chasing 250 was not a difficult task for New Zealand’s formidable batting lineup, but they struggled against India’s spin four, led by Chakravarthy (5/42) and were all out for 205 in 45.3 overs. Kane Williamson’s tough 81 was in vain.India will meet Australia, who placed second in Group B, in the first semifinal in Dubai on Tuesday, while New Zealand will face South Africa in the other semifinal in Lahore on Wednesday. As they did throughout the tournament, the Indian spinners prioritized efficiency above magic and bowled in a manner appropriate for the conditions.
Ravindra Jadeja found enormous turn off the pitch, but the New Zealand hitters were undone by Chakravarthy’s unrelenting attack on the stumps.
Spinners took over after Hardik Pandya removed Rachin Ravindra early.
Williamson, dropped on 17 by stumper KL Rahul off Axar Patel, played a beautiful innings full of placements and grace, but he received little support from the other end. 44-run partnership between him and Daryl Mitchell for the third wicket was about to blossom when Kuldeep Yadav caught the latter in front.
Despite losing Glenn Phillips (12), Michael Bracewell (2), and Tom Latham (14), they did not let the rumblings bother Williamson.
Although he skillfully placed balls through the gaps with gentle hands, his innings was encrusted with two lofted cover drives off Jadeja for fours that gleamed like brilliant jewels.
However, Axar’s slightly fuller and angled delivery fooled an on-charge Williamson, and Rahul only needed to take the bails off the stumps.In effect, the dismissal decided the match in India’s favor.
Axar (42 off 61 balls) and Iyer had earlier formed a well-paced 98-run partnership for the fourth wicket, while Hardik (45 off 45) had played a fast-paced innings in the closing stages to assist India avoid a top-order collapse.
Iyer was in a somewhat unusual position because the top three batters had provided him with a run cushion in the previous few games. In those games, it had given him some degree of flexibility when he batted.But in this case, he had to start the innings from the beginning, and he did it flawlessly, hitting fifty off seventy-five balls with a single off Ravindra. Iyer occasionally displayed his natural flair when he lofted pacer Will O’Rourke for a six over long on, and Axar provided him with great company on a sluggish surface.
However, when Williamson caught Axar’s attempt to scoop Ravindra over a short, delicate leg, he left the game against the flow. A weak draw off O’Rourke was devoured by up Will Young under the covers, but Iyer had a hundred to lose.With 23 off 29 balls, including a spectacular knock over long-on for a six off Ravindra, Rahul, who currently bats at the somewhat mysterious No. 6 slot, looked promise.
Mitchell Santner, a left-arm spinner, again produced a terrific stint that included a string of balls that were sped off at just over 70 kmph, but Latham grabbed a beautiful catch behind the stumps off the edge.
Although those dismissals were painful for India, Hardik made sure they got close to the 250-mark with some powerful blows. Prior to Hardik’s fire and Iyer’s heroics, India was struggling at 30 for 3, with Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and captain Rohit Sharma all being out cheaply.
